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Navitas Naturals is a family-owned green business headquartered in Marin County, California. We specialize in organic superfoods from around the world, and we strive to be the industry leader in this fast-growing category.

Our mission is to provide premium functional foods that increase energy and promote health. We make it easy for people to experience optimal whole food nutrition.

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Navitas Naturals is a sponsor of Hemp History Week, a nationwide grassroots education campaign to bring hemp farming back to the U.S. More than 850 events will be held from June 3 to June 9 during Hemp History Week in towns throughout all 50 states. Read more, below, about how you can take action to support the American hemp farming cause at this critical time. Hemp is one of the most eco-friendly crops, and it adds an easy, delicious nutrition boost to a wide variety of recipes. To help you celebrate hemp, we’re offering 20% off our organic Blueberry Hemp Power Snacks, as well as our Hemp Seeds and Hemp Powder for the rest of June.

The timing of Hemp History Week couldn’t be better. Federal legislation that would allow hemp agriculture again throughout the U.S. is gaining strong momentum in Congress, and you can help right now. There’s currently an opportunity to have Senator Wyden's Industrial Hemp Amendment added to the comprehensive Farm Bill. This small amendment to that larger bill would allow farmers in the U.S. to once again have the opportunity to grow this profitable and healthy crop. VoteHemp needs your assistance. Learn more, here, about how you can help hemp.

Hemp History Week is an industry-wide initiative of the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) and Vote Hemp. The celebration includes hundreds of volunteer-led grassroots events, retail promotions, and the premiere of Bringing it Home - a documentary film about industrial hemp that explores the question of why a crop with so many widespread benefits cannot be farmed in the U.S. today.

Hemp farming is still a challenge, but finding a nutrition guru that likes hemp seed is easy. Experts tout hemp seed because it’s an easily digested complete protein source, and it’s one of the richest vegetable sources of omega 3 & 6 essential fatty acids. Hemp seed contains chlorophyll and is also a plentiful source of fiber, vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, iron, zinc and potassium.

The hemp plant is known to be among the most useful and eco-friendly crops in the world. It’s a sustainable crop that is naturally pest-resistant, and because hemp plants grow fast and close together, they out-compete weeds and therefore don’t require herbicides. Hemp’s rugged roots anchor soil to prevent erosion and the leaves return nitrogen to the soil. Hemp cultivation generates virtually no waste and even the hemp processing byproducts are useful and marketable.

Hemp seeds have a soft texture, attractive sesame seed-like appearance and a nutty flavor similar to sunflower seeds. You can enjoy our organic Hemp Seeds right out of the bag, in our Blueberry Hemp Power Snack or try them sprinkled on just about anything including granola, yogurt, salads, soups, dips, or add them to baked recipes like these Hemp Seed Chocolate Chip Cookies. Hemp seeds fold into these comforting cookies perfectly, adding a slightly nutty flavor, as well as protein and minerals.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour ¾ cup hemp seeds into a blender (use a small, personal-sized blender if available), while setting the remaining ¼ cup seeds aside. Add the almond milk, and blend into a thick paste (the mixture does not need to be perfectly smooth). Use a small silicone spatula to scoop out the hemp mixture into a medium bowl. Whisk in the coconut oil and vanilla extract, then stir in the coconut sugar. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, maca powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Stir in the chocolate chips, cacao nibs and the remaining ¼ cup hemp seeds, then add the wet mixture to the dry. Mix to form a dough. About a rounded tablespoon at a time, form the dough into balls, and transfer to prepared cookie sheets. Flatten each ball slightly using your fingertips. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned on the bottom. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Tess Masters is an Australian actress, chef, and recipe developer that knows how to whirl up some magic in a blender. She’s the charming host of Vitamix’s online technique and recipe videos, and she is authoring a much-anticipated new healthy cookbook to be published by Random House - Ten Speed Press. We know her best as The Blender Girl – the author of the Healthy Blender Recipes blog, where she shares quick and easy vegan and raw recipes that can be made in a blender, mixer, or food processor. Read below about the Blender Girl’s ‘perfect blend,’ the bio-individuality diet, and about how she uses the blender as a metaphor for a healthy lifestyle, and more.

Navitas Naturals (NN): What was the spark that ignited your passion for whole foods, and how did that ultimately lead to The Blender Girl?

The Blender Girl (BG): My awakening to whole foods and the concept of food as medicine was in my teens when I was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus. After following my naturopath’s advice to adopt a gluten free, plant based diet, and feeling better almost instantly, I developed a keen interest in health and nutrition. In my early twenties, I discovered macrobiotics, which led me on a self-imposed crusade to find a way of eating that would keep me at optimum health. I experimented with veganism, then raw foods, and dabbled in Ayurvedic philosophy, and Chinese yin and yang principles. Next, on to alkalinity and Dr. Robert O. Young’s pH Miracle plan, soon followed by Body Ecology anti-candida principles, green smoothies, and blood-group strategies.

But no one program completely fit my needs. I would feel really good, but eventually, symptoms of lethargy and fatigue would set back in. After an exhaustive whole foods search, I finally embraced the concept of bio-individuality, and quickly shifted to an intuitive approach to my health. By listening to the signs in my body, I began to blend together elements of those various whole foods principles to create an individual, immune-boosting, “Tess diet” that changed with my needs.

In 2010, starting my food blog to share recipes with family and friends, I used this concept for inspiration. Whilst, yes, I love my blender, I realized that blending isn’t just a method of food preparation, it’s a metaphor for how I live. I like to combine different ideas and concepts, notes and flavors, and philosophies and cultures, in order to find a healthy, enjoyable balance of food, exercise, work and fun. While it’s not a system, exactly, it does add up to a recipe for happiness and success. I thought this recipe was worth sharing, and one that can be tailored to each individual.

So “Blend and Live!” was born, and I began asking my readers, “What’s your perfect blend?”

NN: You often use the terms “bio-individuality” and “perfect blend”. What is that all about?

BG: Bio-individuality acknowledges the reality that one blanket diet, or way of moving through the world, will not be ideal for every unique human being. We all have different DNA, genes, blood types, ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, activity and stress levels, and live in various climates and environments around the world, and so our needs are different.

Whilst I believe that a diet containing vast quantities and varieties of leafy greens, alkaline vegetables, raw sprouted nuts, seeds and grains, and superfoods, all combined with daily green juices and smoothies, can be beneficial to anybody, each individual’s "perfect blend" of those things, and other foods, exercise, joyful activities, fulfilling work, loving relationships, time with family, etc will add up to a unique combination, which I call, “the perfect blend.”

On a more literal level, the ingredients each of us will add to the blender to my various recipes will also be a unique combination. Depending on our needs, we will nourish our bodies in diverse ways, and my recipes serve as a blank canvas for all kinds of flavorful inspiration. I invite my readers to put their signature on my simple recipes and find their perfect blend.

NN:What makes up the perfect “Tess Diet”?

BG: I maintain a plant based, alkaline diet all year round with green smoothies, green juices, salads and cooked vegetable dishes. The various whole foods (and methods of food preparation) I choose changes depending on climate, stress levels, emotions, physical activity, and my overall health. For example, in the hotter months I eat a high percentage of raw foods. When the weather turns cold, more cooked foods. I have discovered that flexibility and fluidity, rather than rigidity, and listening to my body and heart are among the keys to happiness.

NN:What do you love the most about blenders?

BG:The blender just makes life easier, and levels the playing field in the kitchen, inspiring confidence, and offering everybody from novice cooks to skilled chefs the simplest way to create nutrient-dense, delicious foods with very little skills and even less time. Your blending repertoire can extend far beyond drinks, smoothies, soups, sauces, and dips, although I am partial to a superfood smoothie that can pack an incredible amount of fuel into one nutritious glass. But, I also enjoy blender-inspired recipes – dishes with a blended component, such as a pesto that can transform a simple bowl of leftover grains and veggies from simple to sublime. It’s also just fun!

NN: If I looked in your fridge today, what Navitas Superfoods would I find?

NN: What is your favorite video that you have done for Vitamix so far?

BG: I had so much fun working on the Vitamix videos with a company I really admire and believe in, and a crew of fabulous people. The homemade almond milk is my favourite video, because learning how to make your own almond milk is quick and easy, and can be so beneficial to health if you consume it unsweetened. Scott and I make a batch every day as part of our alkaline regime, and so many friends and readers have discovered the joy of almond milk through that video. I have received countless grateful emails from viewers who have found that recipe a welcome introduction to plant based milks and raw food.

NN: What can you tell us about your new book for Random House / Ten Speed Press?

BG: I am extremely excited to be a part of the Random House family and working with the incredible team at Ten Speed Press. My book is a whole foods blender cookbook full of quick, easy, gluten free, nutrient-dense, plant based recipes the whole family can enjoy. And it’s not just smoothies, shakes, soups, dips, and sauces. There are simple meals, breakfast ideas, and decadent desserts too. It will be released in 2014.

NN: What is your “perfect blend”– and what is your favorite all–around smoothie recipe?

BG:I’m always looking for new ways to include more chlorophyll-rich foods into my diet. Whilst I enjoy a lot of fresh green salads, green juices, daily green smoothies with different leafy greens, and soups, sometimes I want my greens in the form of a dessert. The Sweet Superfood Green Machine shake is fresh and delicious, using mint to lift and brighten the density of the green powders. Chlorella and spirulina can be unpalatable and I have discovered, after much experimentation, that the key to balancing the flavor profile of algae, is to mix it with other kinds of dried greens so nothing dominates.

Place all of the ingredients into your blender (I use a Vitamix) and puree until smooth and creamy. About 60 seconds. Tweak flavors to taste (you might like to add a pitted date) and enjoy. Makes two 16-ounce glasses.

NN: If you could have any Navitas product as the core blending staple in your pantry, which product would it be?

BG:Oh, it’s hard to pick just one because I use so many, but if I had to it would be hemp seeds. Hemp is such a powerful food, rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, live enzymes, essential fatty acids, and natural chlorophyll. I throw some hemp seeds, hemp powder and hemp oil into almost every green smoothie I make and toss them on most of my salads and other dishes. I make hemp milk because of its complete, highly digestible protein and powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

After my partner, Scott Brick, was diagnosed with cancer last year, hemp became a huge staple in our house, as it is well known to kill cancer cells. It worked! Scott is almost cancer free by maintaining a vegan, alkaline, superfood diet. You can read our personal story here. Go hemp! To learn more about The Blender Girl, head to Healthy Blender Recipes. You can also join her healthy conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube.

Coconut water is a tropical drink that has quickly established itself as a healthy sports drink alternative in fitness circles everywhere. Most of the clients that I consult at Mohr Results, ranging from soccer moms to CEOs and NFL players, are asking about coconut water. Let’s take a closer look at this popular beverage to see what it has to offer from a fitness and training perspective.

Hitting the gym for 30 minutes? Out for a walk or in a less intense yoga class? Coconut Water is up for the task and perfect for the job. The flavor of the coconut water is great, without the added calories that you’re trying to burn! Coconut water has about 5 times the amount of potassium as traditional sports drinks. It provides approximately half the sodium and half the carbohydrates, which is certainly a plus. Not everyone needs the levels of carbohydrates (sugar) in traditional sports drinks.

What about higher level athletes - is there a place for coconut water on their shelves, too? There are currently a handful of studies measuring the hydrating effects of coconut water. One in particular, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, did a head-to-head comparison of coconut water vs. sports drinks among a small group of trained men.

The researchers had the subjects complete a 60-minute bout of “dehydrating treadmill exercise.” During the study, subjects lost about 2% of their body weight, which is enough to have a negative effect on performance. The researchers then measured physical performance again later in the day to determine if the coconut water was able to do the job of rehydrating so that performance didn’t suffer.

In this study, they learned that coconut water was as effective as the sports drink in helping performance and wrote “coconut water could be used for whole body rehydration after exercise.” In other words, coconut water works. Traditional sports drinks can compliment the use of coconut water. Sports drinks are typically higher in sodium, the primary electrolyte lost in sweat, while coconut water is higher in potassium. Therefore, depending on the activity itself, the heat during training and the level of play, both can benefit you.

Makes 4 servings. In a blender, combine the almond butter, chocolate coconut water, protein powder and water, and blend until smooth. Taste, and add coconut sugar as desired. Transfer the mixture to a shaker cup or large jar with a lid. Add the chia seeds, and shake well. Let sit for 10 minutes, shake once more, then allow the chia seeds to fully hydrate for 20 minutes longer. Will keep for several days, refrigerated.

Mint Chocolate Chip is one of the most popular ice cream flavors in North America, so it’s not surprising that this classic taste and color combo is a hit in Chef Julie Morris’ new Mint Chip recipe. This delicious superfood blend, and 99 more, can be found in Superfood Smoothies, Chef Julie’s new book by Sterling Publishing that is now available at stores around the country including Barnes and Noble.

Here is how Chef Julie describes this recipe in her book Superfood Smoothies: ‘Tucked beneath a very convincing ice cream-like flavor, a wealth of beneficial spinach awaits you in this smoothie. It’s so good it almost makes a person wonder why spinach isn’t used in all minty treats. I love how the cacao nibs provide a bit of dark-chocolate crunch without being overpowering.’

We believe nutrient-rich whole foods are at their best when produced by organic agriculture and minimal processing methods. That's why all our products are certified organic, and use methods such as freeze-drying to ensure maximum nutrition. Since our origins in 2003, we've been committed to socially responsible business, and our direct purchasing partnerships create and expand fair trade opportunities for farming communities around the world. We offer a vast selection of organic superfoods and information on how to enjoy them in a diet that can help energize an active and healthy lifestyle.

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